ANALYSIS OF FABRIC DEFORMATION IN A ROLL-MAKING OPERATION

Fabric deformation in the roll-making operation and the resulting state of stress in the fabric roll are analyzed through a discrete continuum model. The fabric elastic properties are assumed to be linear and anisotropic. Only the static case is considered, wherein dynamic effects in roll making are neglected. Effects of fabric Young's modulus in the warp and thickness directions, tube elastic modulus, fabric Poisson's ratios, and fabric weight per unit area on the state of stress inside the roll are parametrically investigated. Numerical results are obtained and discussed for each parameter. Theoretical results show that when a constant in-plane tension is applied for winding, the fabric may actually come under in-plane compression inside the roll. This observation is believed to be important, since it may reveal one of the causes of possible buckling and unevenness inside the roll. The theoretical model and the numerical solution procedures developed can easily be modified to incorporate nonlinear load-deformation behavior of fabrics.